A Game Between Three
by Siriusly Orion Wicked
Summary: She couldn't decide if moving into Gimmauld Place had been the best or the worst decision she had ever made. "Who would have thought Miss Granger had such a dirty mouth." His hands were drawing circles around her abdomen, igniting every nerve on his way. "But even with all those well-spoken words, we'll see who's going to be begging, after all is said and done." RE-IMAGINED.
1. The Flop

To all my readers,

I've been away for a very long time. This, after all these years, is my attempt at coming back.

As you may or may not have noticed, I've deleted all my stories. Despite what a very kind, anonymous reviewer already eagerly stated, I did not, in fact, attempt to be dishonest by reposting this story. I've completely changed and restructured the way it was written, keeping most of the content intact. It was never my intention to be misleading. I didn't want to delete the kind words all of you have left for me throughout the years, and if by some miracle some of you remain, I wanted you to be able to read my new work, if it struck your fancy. However, I've decided to post, again, the new version of this story as a completely new post. While I regret to part from your loving words, I don't want anyone to feel cheated. As you can see it's been a rough return already, having only one hurtful review, but I remain optimistic.

I couldn't bare to read my old stories. It's was simply horrific, it almost made me turn back and run again in shame. However, I am a firm believer in facing our old selves and having the courage to face it and make a better version. Thus, here I'll remain for the foreseeable future. I wont promise speedy updates, but I will say I have a long term plan for at least four stories.

A Game Between Three was meant to be a 10 chapter story, that I can't bare to look at anymore. Now, the plan is to make it a three chaptered, maybe four, one-shot, mainly because it was too long to be a single chapter. If that is something that interests you, please remain, and read at your pleasure. If not, please, don't bother leaving a hurtful review behind. Your words stay long after your memory of writing them does, both positive and negative reviews, so please bare that in mind for every story you read, not just mine.

I am looking for a Beta, or several Betas as it happens. I want my stories to be the best possible versions of themselves, and some of them have very intricate plots that need stern and warm proofreading. If you like my work and are interested, please PM me or email me at siriusly orion wicked AT gmail . Com.

Thank you for your patience, I hope you enjoy reading what follows.

Siriusly Wicked.

…

He was standing on the threshold of the library, staring at her hungrily. She could do nothing but stare back, like he was the most sensual being to have ever walked on earth. And he was. For her he was. The black locks of his hair hung lazily on his forehead, half-covering his eyes in that enticing way that drove her insane, the dragon hide jacket half open over a white t-shirt that clung to the muscles underneath like a second skin. He had a way of staring right at her, for long periods of time without looking away, even when she made eye contact with those grey-silver eyes. Scrutinizing, in a manner that made her feel like he could see under her clothes, under her skin and she could feel her heart beat faster every passing second. Barely breathing, she stood there, watching his every motion, studying him.

She never expected to feel attracted to him, or to their "roommate" for that matter, but ever since she moved into the Ancient and Noble House of Black, she couldn't fight the effects the close proximity to the two gorgeous wizards had on her. But she couldn't help it, and she had stopped fighting it about four months ago. She would wander around the house in.. less than her normal vestments, her gaze would wander freely down their bodies in an attempt to let them know she was interested, that she would most definitely respond to any sort of advance. She figured that one of them was a werewolf and the other an animagus, so they must have noticed the difference in her posture, if not in her attitude. She hoped that at least one of them would have picked up on the way she tried to sway her hips a touch closer than was necessary when passing by, or letting herself be caught watching them, but if they had, both men had neglected to show it or had yet to do anything about it. Suddenly they were spending more time at the Burrow or anywhere else for that matter, she worried that was their way of letting her down easy, to avoid a confrontation, and simply avoid _her_.

She couldn't even sort out her feelings, for she had feelings for both wizards. Frankly she hadn't a clue as to what she would do should one of the two finally respond, or Merlin forbid, both of them. But wasn't that what she wanted? Could she choose? Did she have a choice at all? She had no time to ponder on it, as the present matter came to the front of her mind once again at the sign of movement.

Today, while his friend waited in the kitchen, the resident animagus had walked into the library, only to find her in her brasier. She had spilt some hot chocolate on her shirt, just moments before he walked in, and thinking them already on their way to The Burrow, she removed the dirty garment not thinking about a possible accidental run in with anyone. And there they were.

"What are you doing, love? You're smarter than this." his voice came out like a low growl.

"Care to explain what it is you think I'm doing?" she retorted with a shaky voice. She didn't intend on sounding so insecure, but as it was, she was half frozen in place. For all her bravado and failed attempts at catching his attention, she was not prepared for the full force of Sirius Black's hungry gaze. After all the subtle looks and soft grazes, she didn't think he would catch her unaware and unexpectedly like this.

"You're torturing me, Hermione, you're slowly but surely driving me insane, is what you're doing. I keep thinking I'm imagining things, that you've become comfortable around me, little hugs that linger, a touch here, a graze there, when you pass by, all intentional but familiar gestures. Tell me it's all in my head, tell me I've become a lecherous hermit that's imagining things, tell me I'm finally showing the symptoms of the Black maddness." his voice was gravelly, it sounded like it was coming from somewhere deep in his chest, resonating with it's inner acoustic. "Tell me you're not doing it on purpose, Hermione." he pleaded.

So he had noticed, and yet the assumption that the one non-orchestrated action was what he took as prove, annoyed her to some degree. He was openly acknowledging he had noticed the changes, but thought her little accident was a manipulative stunt on her part. Was that what he thought of her? Her annoyance took a backdrop, however, when she realised that if he had noticed the little changes, then his best friend must have noticed too. However, the animagus seemed to take her lack of response as an answer, bringing her attention back to him when he spoke again.

"You've been playing a dangerous game, little witch, and now… you might just find out what happens when all bets are off." he sentenced.

 _Oh shit._

She had been waiting for this breaking point for over four months, and now that it was happening, she was petrified. She knew that she was helplessly in love with two different older men, though that particular point would have to wait for later consideration. She should have known that she was playing with fire, and yet… the truth was that she knew she was playing with fire, and wanted to get burnt. She was probably asking for it, really, best friends share almost everything with each other, things were bound to get messy if she got her way. But… now that she thought of it, it didn't sound like they had said anything to each other, otherwise it would have come up during Sirius's little speech. So they had refrained to share with the other the fact that they both were enjoying, and ignoring, the attentions of the young witch that happened to live with them.

Maybe he wanted her. Maybe they both did.

She looked up again, gathering all her Gryffindor courage. She could scarcely believe that she was right there, knees shaking, heart racing, in front of one of them, shirtless and wanting nothing more than to have his hands around every piece of exposed skin, or otherwise, that he could reach. She found herself completely lost in his eyes, in his lust. She had absolutely no idea, not a miserable little clue of how to proceed. She didn't know how to respond to his accusation, essentially because she knew that she was guilty of almost all charges, even if he didn't. However she could never have expected anything this… sudden. After everything, she just didn't know how to respond.

"Is that a threat, Black, or a promise?" the words were out of her mouth even before she could think twice about them. Her pulse was racing, her mouth slightly open, breathing in and out in what could have been the pace for a five mile marathon.

His lip twitched upward as he raised an eyebrow at her, almost inviting, asking for permission. For what exactly, she didn't know. She was about to grant it, when the door opened letting in the room, a very surprised and confused Remus Lupin.

It took her a moment to catch up with the entrance of her other roommate, but in that moment she felt the heat of the werewolf's gaze, having what could only be described as a visual feasting. She started to scramble for her shirt as Remus finally looked away from her, to evaluate the rest of the odd scenario in which he found his best friend and the normally modest bookworm.

"Uhm, Sirius, we're late." he said uncertainly. "Hurry up, mate. There's no use showing up early for the meeting without the letters from our contacts." he said as he cleared his throat and looked away from Hermione, who was still putting on her dirty shirt.

"I'm so sorry Remus, I'm afraid it's my fault. I think I startled Sirius, I thought I was alone in the house, so I didn't think I would come across anyone. I'll be on my way, have a good meeting." she said quickly as she half ran to her room. The men remained silent for a moment.

"So..." Remus started to say. "What was _that_ all about?"

"I have no idea." Sirius responded tiredly, as he started to search for the letters in the desk of the library.

The werewolf simply stared at his friend, as he he thought about what he had just walked into. He hadn't said a word about it to Sirius, but he had been watching Hermione very carefully for a while now. She had become this absolutely breathtaking creature, and he couldn't tear his eyes off of her since she moved into Grimmauld. He had noticed some changes in her demeanor a while ago, and so he had to tear himself from staying in the house so much, afraid one day the wolf would force him to act on his more carnal instincts. She seemed to unknowingly be giving him encouragement, but truly she was being kind. She could not be held accountable for his less than pure thoughts or the way he misinterpreted her actions. She was still too innocent to understand that even as her friend, he was still a red-blooded man, and he had, after all, encouraged her to treat him like a friend and not her old professor. He had hoped that she didn't see him that way after eleven years.

But there was no misinterpretation of her meaning just before he walked into the library. At first, he truly thought he would find Hermione on Sirius' embrace. What little he had heard before entering the library had sounded quite compromising, or at the very least promising. However he had found them apart, and he had to ask himself if his mind wasn't playing tricks on him again. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples gently, as he took a deep breath to calm himself only to pause mid-breath.

He could smell something in the air, something dark and unmistakable was floating around in the whole of the library, that gave him pause. The nature of Hermione's words to Sirius, became quite clear after all.

"Sirius, what happened exactly before I interrupted your conversation with Hermione?" he watched his friend pace a bit in front of the desk, looking for the letters and seeming somewhat nervous. He halted and looked at his friend in the eyes for a moment before sighing and sitting in the leather chair behind the desk.

"She's driving me mad, Moony." he said no more than that, as he pulled a hand through his hair impatiently. "I keep imagining these crazy scenarios where she throws hints at me, and today I thought it was too much. She clearly doesn't know how Merlin forsaken sexy she is, because if she did, she wouldn't put herself in any of the situations that I keep misreading over and over again. Today I almost convinced myself that she was actually trying to seduce me." His voice was full of frustration and his words were rushed, almost like a guilty confession he could hide no longer. "But you need two to tango." he finished painfully.

He sounded tortured, and Remus understood perfectly what he meant. If he had been the one to walk into the library to find her in her underwear… there was a twitch in his pants at the thought. He shook his head as if to clear his mind and tried to remember what they were talking about.

"Breath deeply, Padfoot. Tell me what you smell." he said. As Sirius took a deep breath through his nose, he could see realisation starting to make it's way to his face, his eyes grew large with surprise and disbelief, to turn his head painfully fast towards Remus.

The smell of Hermione's arousal danced in the air all around the room and it was intoxicating, suddenly Sirius's pants were slightly tighter than before.

"What were you talking about?" Remus asked.

"You must have overheard us, with your sensitive hearing and all." he responded still somewhat entranced by the scent.

"I was distracted. I only caught something about a threat, or a promise?" he half asked.

"I don't think she knew what she was saying. Well, I suppose I must thank you, because if you hadn't walked in, I'm not sure what would have happened. " Sirius' eyes were closed now, in what he suspected was a smell induced trance.

And then it clicked. It all made sense.

"Padfoot, I think we've been underestimating the little witch that happens to live with us." his hand finding his way into his pocket looking for his watch. "Since we're already late, I think we should take a few moments to compare notes." he said as he turned to look at his friend.

"Compare notes?" he said, finally opening his eyes. His tone was clearly surprised. "You have notes to compare with?" he paused for a moment and stared hard at Remus. "You don't think—"

"Indeed." he responded, interrupting him.

"Do you want to—" he started again.

"Merlin, yes."

"Then let's not waste a single moment."

He hadn't seen the predatory smile that bloomed in Padfoots face in a really, really long time. He couldn't help but grin in return.

…

 _That was so close!_ She tried to be casual when Remus appeared, but that was way too close. She would have to be more careful. Today Molly was having a dinner at the Burrow for a little 'family' reunion, right after the Order meeting. If you were to believe the Weasley matriarch, at least a couple of weeks had passed since their last get together. Truth was the had a brunch not three days ago at Shell Cottage. None the less, she insisted it had been too long and was going to prepare a meal for the whole of the Order and extended friends and family.

They were all invited. Including _them_.

 _Well, that should be interesting. "Hello Molly, how have you been? Good? ... Aw I'm glad. I was going to ask your for your advice on a little matter. Yes, it's rather personal, but since you're like my mother and all, I'd thought you could impart some advice. Yeah, well… How do I seduce two best friends? Yes, it's just that I wanted to sleep with Sirius_ and _Remus, without them finding out I'm sleeping with the other, perhaps convince them to share one night… or two. What do you think?... Is it that simple? Oh Merlin, Molly, thank you so much! So what's for dinner?"_

 _Yes. That should work out just fine._

She was too distracted to pay much attention to what she was going to wear, but she did have enough brain cells left to think to put on the pair of jeans that seemed to catch Sirius's attention every time she walked by, and the burgundy top that earned her a comment from Remus a week ago. _"That colour suits you very well, Hermione."_ he has said while reading _The Daily Prophet_. She didn't think he had meant anything by it, but it couldn't hurt to put it on tonight.

She didn't run into either wizard on her way to the fireplace, but just as she bent over to grab some floo powder, she felt a warm hand grazing the skin that was exposed between her shirt and her jeans. She shivered immediately, goosebumps appearing all over her arms. She turned around expecting to find grey eyes looking at her hungrily, hoping to finish what they had started earlier in the library. Instead, she found green eyes looking back at her.

The sharp intake of breath, and the unexpected proximity to the werewolf almost made her lose her balance. One of his hands shot out quickly to her lower back and around her waist to stabilize her. Their lower halves were now pressed to each other, and it felt like her body was made to fit perfectly into his, the friction building tension in all the right places, the temperature of his body, hot against her back. While this wouldn't normally be construed as wildly inappropriate, there was _nothing_ apropriate about what it was doing to her body. Or the thoughts that were running furiously in her head.

"Everything alright, dear?" his eyes had a glint of amber, that usually came out around the full moon. " _The man, having trouble reigning in the beast that lays underneath"_ , that's how Remus had described it once, the battle reflected in his eyes.

 _If only he knew I wouldn't mind meeting his more… unruly self._

"Hmm, yes, yes, I'm fine, Remus. You just startled me, that's all, I think I lost myself for a second there." she cleared her throat, trying to compose herself, and to sound like a proper human being. She made to move out of his embrace, but he held her steady and tightened his grip on her.

She couldn't help let out a soft moan at the motion, having one of his legs now between hers, giving her the friction she hadn't felt in entirely too long. Any hope she had of not being heard went out the window the second she looked back and his eyes darkened. The feral look he was giving her almost made her gasp, but she couldn't help the shot of desire that went straight to her center. She wanted to feel embarrassed, to be at least slightly abashed at her wanton behaviour, but it had been two years, two years since the last time a man had touched her anything remotely like that.

Next thing she knew she was leaning slightly back, and running her fingers through his hair at the base of his neck. On pure instinct, he wrapped his other arm around her and a low rumble came out of his chest, like a very low but quick rapping on a kettle drum. The vibrations it sent through her body made the hairs around her neck stand on end. She was trembling with anticipation.

"You might want to get as far away from me as you can, Hermione. Full moon is in two days, and I'm finding it… difficult to restrain myself." his voice was very low and coming from the back of her neck. "The smart thing would be to floo to the Weasleys before I get a chance to do something you might regret tomorrow." he was breathing heavily, and despite his words, his arms wrapped up even tighter around her, going under the hem of her jeans just slightly. She could now feel the full force of his meaning pressed against her back.

He turned her around so she'd be facing him. He was such an imposing figure, much taller than she was, but somehow looking bigger now in that predatory stance, hovering above her, slightly bending her backwards.

However his words were not lost on her: " _... before I get a chance to do something_ you _might regret tomorrow."_.

You. Not _I_ , but _you_.

"Why would I want to do that?" It took all of her Gryffindor courage to say those words, but she was pleased to hear that there was no trace of hesitation in them.

He let out a soft growl. For Merlin's sake, she loved the unabashed look of desire displayed on his face. Again, another wave of heat found it's way to her belly. She could feel her pulse between her legs, she wondered if he could feel it too.

"I can smell you, you know?" he said as he closed his eyes. His face dug in the nape of her neck, tickling her with his nose. "You need to be sure, pet. You need to be sure, because if I get a taste of you, chances are I won't let go." he pushed away slightly, and grabbed her jaw delicately but surely with the whole of his hand, to look her dead in the eye.

The scale of his hand, from the tip of his middle finger to the tip of his thumb could encompass the whole of her jaw, between them with some to spare. The contrast in ratio regarding their sizes had her gaze fixed in what fingers she could see for a moment. She wondered if the ratio applied to every part of his body. When she finally looked into his eyes, the amber flecks had now taken over half of the lovely green shade of his irises, his pupils dilated.

That alone nearly killed her on the spot. She had no idea what had brought this on, but whatever god or ancient magic was smiling on her now, she would thank for eternity. The thought of him, knowing, _smelling_ just how much she wanted him was an unexpected turn on.

She couldn't hold it any longer and pressed her body flush against his. She reached for his neck, dipped her head to one side and started pulling his head towards her—

Only to have him suddenly take five steps away from her, leaving her cold and aroused. When she was about to ask why he had pulled away, she saw Sirius walk into the room with a strange look on his face. She couldn't quite place what emotion was there.

"What's going on?" he asked, as he took notice of the scene. Hermione, had a mixed expression of disappointment and frustration, her shirt was halfway up her abdomen on one side and her hair was more of a mess than usual, and standing next to her a completely calm and un-preoccupied Remus Lupin.

"Nothing…" said Hermione, while trying to fix her hair and put her shirt in place. "I'm just feeling somewhat unwell."

Sirius just raised an eyebrow at her, half amused and half curious look on his face.

"Do you feel like skipping dinner? I could come back after the Order meeting and stay with you, if you like." he asked in a polite voice, but his eyes… Merlin, in his eyes there was a dark promise she hoped he'd keep.

"No! don't worry about me. I'm fine now, at least compared to what I'll be if I miss dinner. Mrs. Weasley would have my head on a platter." she responded while laughing nervously.

"If you say so…" he said with half a smile on his face. "Eh, hey Remus, why don't you go ahead, I'll be just a second. I forgot my coat upstairs." Sirius said while shooting a secretly meaningful look at his best friend.

"No problem, just stay out of trouble." He said with a smile and kissed Hermione on the cheek, took some floo powder and disappeared in a large burst of green flames. What Sirius couldn't have seen was the finger he passed down Hermione's spine as he left.

"I can smell you, Pumpkin, did you know that?" he finally said.

He couldn't have known that his best friend had asked her the same thing just minutes ago, but this time she was in fact surprised. Remus was a werewolf, and as such, he sometimes suffered from enhanced senses. That could sometimes be a blessing or a curse, as stated by the ex-professor, but she did not know that an Animagus could have similar symptoms. She wondered if each Animagus had a set of enhanced traits that they shared with their specific animals, if they varied with each—

"I lost you there to your academic curiosity, didn't I?" he had a little amused smirk while he said that. She blushed, embarrassed, realising that the very risqué comment, was lost in her inner bookworm thoughts.

"Yes, it happens sometimes. I get lost in my own head completely oblivious of what happens around me…" but her voice rapidly vanished in the middle of her ramblings, when she saw him approaching her. Both of his hands were suddenly encompassing her upper abdomen. His hands felt immense and strong over her ribs, caressing lightly the skin below her breasts with his thumbs. She hadn't known until that moment that it was such a sensitive spot to the touch. He had rendered her speechless and melted her every muscle in less than a second.

"You have no idea how long I've fantasised about having you pressed against me like this," his voice was husky, and she quivered at the sound. "soaking wet, filled with desire. Desire that's just for me." he continued.

She felt somewhat guilty at the last statement, because the reason she was wet wasn't him, it was the result of his best friend's advances not five minutes ago. But all the same, he was right. She was filled with desire, and it was for him.

 _At least at this moment_ , she thought.

The gentleness of his touch surprised her. The heat from his hands felt like a slow blue burning flame. The tantalizing touch in circles around her ribs, with just the tips of his fingers, such delicate touch that somehow set her nerves aflame. It was almost as if every touch made her reach harder for every breath, a small struggle to catch a wisp of air and keep it in her lungs. She swallowed a moan when his right thumb finally touched the lower curve of her breast.

"Don't fight it." he whispered in her ear, his lips touching her earlobe as they moved. His left hand traveled to the base of her neck, his thumb caressing her jaw, sliding to her throat in what had to be the most sensual touch she had known. "Just let go, love." his fingers were playing with her hair now, tugging a bit a the base with his full hand. At that she had to close her eyes and moan out loud.

"Good witch." she could hear the smirk in his words.

She didn't have to open them to know the effect it had on him, she could feel it pressing against her. He let out a little groan as he lifted her up to his waist, her legs now firmly wrapped up around him, his hand roaming freely over her arse, before pressing her hard against the wall.

Something had clearly snapped within him, his patience all but gone, as his hands gripped her flesh harder, his mouth leaving teeth marks around her neck, just above her breasts. And just as she opened her eyes, surprised and aroused, when his mouth found its way between her breasts, she saw the green of the Floo starting to rise and let go of him immediately.

In a panic, Hermione sat next to the chimney, trying to hide from whoever was coming through. Moving away from him in the floor, she tried to comb her hair with her fingers and readjust her shirt.

However, instead of a full person coming through the floo, Remus' head appeared in the fireplace.

He looked at Sirius with a mysterious glint in his eyes, and Hermione couldn't help but find this somewhat suspicious. It reminded her of the look Fred and George got when the thought of a potential product sparked to mind, it was definitely a dangerous look. And they were marauders after all, plotting and mischief was in their most basic nature.

 _What sort of mischief are they cooking up now?_

"Sirius, Harry is waiting for you and Hermione to arrive to tell us some news, and though we can all guess the good news, they want everyone to be there. Hurry up!" He looked at her and added, "We're all in the sitting room, I'll be waiting." he gave her a wink and disappeared into the flames again.

"Looks like we ought to be going" Sirius said casually as he grabbed some Floo powder. "Catch you later, Pumpkin." and with a wink, he was gone.

He was gone! And the cheeky bastard had left her trembling and hiding in a corner of the floor, next to the bloody chimney!

 _Oh, I'm going to make that wanker pay. You won't have to wait long, Sirius Black._

…

She arrived about two minutes later to the Burrow.

 _This isn't good,_ she thought to herself. She has royally pissed off, and she was hornier than she had been in the past year. That was saying something, considering she had accidentally walked in on Sirius while he was taking a shower. _That was a very long night._

 _I shouldn't be here, maybe I could get away with taking a few bites of dinner and go home, claim I'm feeling sick. I suppose that's not entirely a lie, being this horny has to be some sort of malady. If I do, perhaps one of them will take the hint. What if they both do? Shit, shit, shit. What did I get myself into? What the fuck is happening today?_

She tried to push those thoughts away as she raised her hand and knocked. Almost immediately, Fred opened the door and let her in. She mumbled a strangled greeting, avoiding his eyes, trying to contain the sheer anger and frustration. She was so intent on appearing normal that it wasn't until she handed him her coat that she noticed he was giving her a strange look.

"Hermione, are you alright?" He sounded surprised and intrigued at the same time.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Why do you ask?" This couldn't be happening. He couldn't possibly know.

"You have _the look._ The ' _I'll have you right now, and not one second later._ ' look." he repeated mischievously. He had a shit eating grin in his face that could have lit up a small forest. "The last time I saw that look on your face I ended up in a broom closet near Filch's office." He sounded almost amused. The prat was amused!

 _What it is about today and every man I run into, that they can't seem to help their amusement at my expense? And of my sexual frustration no less!_

"What?" She exclaimed furious. "I have no such _look_. And don't pretend you didn't like that day because you were happy for the remainder of the week. And it was a Monday!" she screaming a whisper at this point. "You don't need to worry your stupid little head off, you won't end up in a broom closet today." she said finally as she stomped away. _That is more than the two wizards standing by the couch can say for themselves_ , she thought.

 _Ugh, the nerve of these men. I'll swear off of them one day. Maybe after I take care of this itch, I'll go away and live in a wizarding town that is only inhabited by women._

Molly came rushing through the hallway when she spotted her, and gave her a bone-crushing hug. "Are you well, dear? You look a little bit flustered," she said after she finally released her.

 _This can't be happening_.

"Yes, I'm fine Mrs. Weasley. If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." She didn't turn back as she walked through the hallway that led to the bathroom door, which proved to be a horrible mistake.

She had barely reached the door when another hand opened it and dragged her in the room before she could understand what was happening. One moment she was standing, and the next she was thrown against the wall and being kissed. Remus's cologne was the only thing she could recognize when she finally regained her senses and started kissing back.

He was actually kissing her.

 _Finally._

She needed air but didn't dare to break the kiss. His hands were moving all over her body, not missing an inch, applying a little more pressure in certain strategic places. The man was playing her like a Grand Piano, making certain she made all the right sounds to compose an _Allegro moderato_ of moans, and an array of distinctly placed breaths, resembling a _staccato_. Her skin was on fire, every nerve, every crease that he touched with his long fingers or his soft mouth was set aflame. He pushed her harder against the wall and she let out a strangled moan. Somehow her legs ended up around his hips.

His tongue danced along with hers and they seemed to move to the tempo of her speedy heartbeats, his arms held her in place between his oaken body and the cold tiles of the wall. His hands found their way to her breasts and touched a sensitive spot, she couldn't help the arching of her back, and he broke the kiss.

They were both breathing heavily when they heard someone knocking the door.

"Hermione?" they heard Sirius's voice ask. "Are you alright?"

Her heartbeat stopped for a second, before it restarted doubletime. She tried to compose her voice before she spoke.

"Hmm, yes, Sirius. I'm fine. I'm just correcting my makeup." Her voice sounded uneven, but clear enough to sound normal.

"Are you sure, Pumpkin? Fred mentioned that you were on a state of some sort."

 _I'm going to kill that blasted twin. He'll have a matching hole to George's, by the time I'm done with him._

Remus growled softly at the moniker of endearment, but she gently pressed her hands to his mouth to shut him up. It would do no good to let Sirius know that she wasn't alone. He responded by pushing his hips up to hers, their lower bodies joined almost painfully. She bit her lip and chastised him with her eyes before trying to speak again.

"Yes, I'm sure Sirius. I just need a couple of minutes here. I'll be right out." she said while putting her legs on the floor as softly as she could.

"That's great, I need to go to the bathroom when you get out." he said from the other side of the door.

Her eyes widened considerably when she looked at Remus, then back at the door, not believing her predicament. The werewolf just smiled, that mischievous glint found it's way back into his eyes, and she only had a moment to process before he opened the door for her and hid behind it.

Her eyes, comically wide, she was sure, were staring at Sirius's back. He had yet to notice the door was open and she started signaling Remus wildly as silently as she could for him to close the door again. Just as she thought he would comply, Sirius turned around and flashed a sexy smile at her, considering the silent open door an invitation.

 _No,no,no,no,no! Back away, Black! Why is this happening to me? Oh bloody hell, what do I do now?_

"Actually Sirius" she said, putting a hand on his chest to stop him from getting in the bathroom "I think I'm going to take a while longer. Why don't you go to the upstairs bathroom?" He looked at her square in the eye and moved his hand along her arm. She was sweating bullets, trying to appear at easy, not looking in Remus's direction.

 _Don't give yourself away now. Just keep calm, you've been through more nerve wracking situations than this, come on, get yourself together._

She finally evened her breathing and smiled sweetly at him.

"Of course, Pumpkin." It looked like he was about to say something else when they heard someone approaching from the hallway. He removed his hand from her arm, squeezing a little before letting go. Smiling back, he turned keeping his eyes on her, until finally with a last wink he disappeared through the hallway.

Again, even though she should have expected it this time, a pair of hands dragged her into the bathroom again and closed the door.

"Are you crazy?" she said when she turned around to face the werewolf. "I can't believe you just did that! Why would you do that?" He just gave her a smirk that made her understand why he was part of the Marauders.

"Afraid of getting caught?" She could hear the playfulness in his voice. She couldn't help but smile too.

"I have a reputation you know, that can be easily destroyed if found in a bathroom with my former Professor" Her voice sounded calm, like she wanted it to sound. Could he hear her anxiety?

This time he kissed her neck softly and buried his nose in her hair while whispering. "I had hoped you had stopped thinking about me as your Professor long ago." His breath on her neck made her quiver.

"What makes you think that was ever a bad thing?" she laughed softly. The mischievousness of both men had finally found it's way to her, and she couldn't help the bloom of desire that shot through her at the look in his eyes. The pure and unadulterated want of a man for a woman. "I can think of a few things I wouldn't mind learning from you." she finished with a wicked grin.

"Who would have though, Miss Granger, behind on a subject. I would have never guessed." It sounded more like growling than talking, each word spoken between a kiss or a nip.

"Mmm… _behind_ , now _there's_ a thought." was the only thing that escaped her mouth, before throwing him a wink and untangling herself from him.

"We should go," she said after a few minutes. "They must be wondering where I am."

"They haven't seen you. Do you really think you can leave after saying something like that?"

 _You haven't even heard half of it_ , she thought wickedly.

"Molly knows I'm here, you better get out before she comes looking for me. If you find her in the hallways, tell her you were going to the upstairs bathroom but found it occupied" she said quickly while pushing him away. His head moved from her neck, and she regretted every word when she felt the loss of his lips.

"Your wish is my command." He grabbed her hand and kissed the pulse point in her wrist.

She closed her eyes and was surprised again when she felt his hands on her arse, moving her towards him, effectively closing the distance between them, and kissing her passionately again. She was getting lost in the kiss once more when she came back to her senses.

 _Oh, no you don't. You're not doing this to me again, I know what you think you're going to do. Not this time._

Before he could take action, she pulled his hair at the base of the neck, and he groaned into the kiss. She angled herself properly before scratching his back somewhat roughly, and when he moved his arms to try for a better position, she broke the kiss and opened the door, got out in a fast set of movements and blew him a kiss before closing the door in his face.

Triumphant, she walked back to the living room to say hello to everyone. She was too busy gloating internally to notice the two men that watched her leave, from the end of the corridor, next to the bathroom door.

"She's more of a minx than I could have ever imagined." Said one of them.

"She's always been a quick study. I believe we're going to have to change strategies, my friend" replied the other.

"Already?" said the first voice surprised.

"Indeed. She's just used our method against me, and with a very successful result, I have to say." answered the second voice.

"I swear, I couldn't have cooked up such an intriguing specimen in my wildest and most wicked dreams. My imagination has a knack for certain things, and I don't think it could have come up with such a feisty little thing." said the dark haired man excitedly.

"You and I together couldn't have come up with half of what goes on in that brain of hers." countered the dirty blond knowingly. "So, what now?"

"I think we ought to raise the bet, Moony. _The flop_ has been dealt, and given our cards I think we have a pretty good chance. I'll wager a bit of my pride, see what _the turn_ offers. And if all else fails, _the river_ included, we'll just ask for a rematch and stack the deck." Sirius said calmly.

"I'm thinking I made a mistake." he laughed. "You always mean business when you use Poker references, but when you talk about stacking the deck… Maybe I shouldn't have encouraged you after all, Padfoot." Remus said a bit wearily.

"Oh, it's too late for that now, Moony. I've had a taste now, there's no way in hell I'm letting go."

"I know exactly what you mean."

…

After saying hello to everyone, and pinching Fred's ear quite harshly, she had to lay down on the couch to calm down a bit. She was a walking hormonal mess today, and she really needed a moment to get herself together. After a moment or two the noise in the living room subsided and she thought she might have fallen asleep. Not the worse thing in the world, taking a nap to calm oneself.

But just as her thoughts were organizing, her brief moment to herself was interrupted when she heard Molly calling her name from the kitchen, telling her that dinner was ready and getting cold. She didn't move, but she suddenly registered that she hadn't, in fact, fallen asleep, the unusual quiet was just the result of everyone migrating to to the garden.

She opened her eyes a minute later to find she was alone in the living room, and went to follow. As she exited the house, she noticed her usual place between Harry and Ron was taken by Gabrielle Delacour, which annoyed her somewhat. However, the vexation didn't last long as it was replaced by mild panic when she noticed that the only remaining available seat lay between one Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.

 _Oh, bloody hell._


	2. The Turn

**AN:** Thank you all so much for your support, I can't tell you all how much every review, kudos, every follow and every favorite has meant to me.

I'm so glad I decided to come back to this community, thank you again for such a warm welcome. A special thanks and shout out for Worthfull1, she has been truly helpful and a great motivator. She also prompted me to open up a Tumblr account, and while I'm still adapting to the strange environment, I love the presence of the Harry Potter fandom in it. Feel free to follow me, siriuslyorionwicked is the name, as you might have guessed.

My computer is still on the mend, however if this update goes on without a hitch I'll do another one before I get it back. I apologize in advance if certain layouts aren't supported. Please let me know how it went and I hope you enjoy!

Siriusly Orion Wicked

…

As she sat at the table, she started suspecting the two individuals that were placed on either side of her. She was no blushing, quivering virgin, despite the fact that they had managed to make her quiver… and blush. In any case, the seating arrangement seemed a little too convenient. The mischievous glances the two men had shared during the day replayed in her mind. They were plotting, that much was certain. But did she believe them capable of plotting against her? Were they manipulative enough to put her in a frenzy over—.

Whatever thought was about to come to mind, never made it from one neuron to the next. She almost jumped underneath the table at the contact of a hand, creeping up her legs from the right, no, the left…

There were currently two very different, but otherwise very strong and warm hands drawing circles on each of her thighs.

 _Are they fucking serious? What do they think they're doing?_

The hand on her right leg was warm and soft at the very center of the palm, but the tips of its fingers were rough and they circled her thigh with soft care, teasing the nerves just above the surface, traveling up and down her leg. The hand on her left leg, was somehow warmer, rougher in texture, but also in manner, it was pinching her thigh with its whole extension, reaching as far as the fingers could go and pressing, massaging, kneading what flesh they could grab.

It took all her self-control not to keen or make any noise of any kind at the ministrations of both hands. Sirius on the right and Remus on the left. Her most erotic daydreams or darkest fantasies couldn't have come close to the reality of both men touching her simultaneously. She didn't realise her eyes were closed in concentration until the sprung wide open when the right hand, Sirius' hand, reached the hem of her underwear in synchrony with the left hand, Remus' hand, as it grasped a particularly sensitive part of her inner thigh.

In a panic, she started reaching across the table for the mash, only to realize halfway there it had been a horrible mistake. The wandering hands had stayed where they were, despite her movement, and had crept up higher than they were before, coming within an inch of each other. It was a wonder they hadn't touched.

At that thought she instinctively jumped and crossed her legs, taking half the tablecloth with her. The whole table was now looking at her, food somewhat scattered, all the glasses in her near vicinity knocked over. Both hands had receded to their previous location, wherever that was, and she was left looking like a blushing lunatic.

"Oh, I know that look." she could hear Fred whispering to George. "One can only hope to be on the receiving end of that look, or at the very least be the cause of it." his twin smirked back at him.

"You do not want to be on the receiving end of my wand, Fred Weasley. If you've never believed in anything, you should believe _that_." She was seething. Embarrassed couldn't even start to describe her current predicament. Half her brain was still in a daze from the ghost of the touch that still lingered in her thighs and the other was outraged - _Outraged!_ \- at the series of events that were developing.

Just as she was about to reach for her wand, Harry stood up and interrupted her, motioning for her to please lower her hand. She did, and she sat down, silently simmering at the spectacle she had made of herself.

"Well, as you all know, Ginny and I wanted to share some news with you all," he said shyly. Hermione knew that it must have taken a particular effort from him, to willingly subject himself to be the center of attention. These things, he did for Ginny alone. "It's been a long time coming, really. To be perfectly honest we've been engaged for some years now, but we've been dealing with a lot at home after the war." He had become very solemn, despite what he was about to share. Hermione could feel all eyes on her at that, and she tried not to shrink under the scrutiny. They would not make her ashamed of what she had gone through with their pity.

At that moment, she felt a pair of hands again, this time on her arms, squeezing lightly in a sign of support from each side of her. She was silently grateful and nodded without looking away from Harry, waiting for him to continue.

It was common knowledge that when Ginny and Harry still lived at Grimmauld with Sirius, Remus and Hermione, that they all had to deal with their nightmares. The war left scars that took a long time to heal. Hermione, especially, had had a hard time dealing with Bellatrix related nightmares, and Harry had confessed one night that he didn't feel right being completely happy, moving on, until she had done so too. He felt responsible, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't convince him that it wasn't his fault.

It had taken about two years for her nightmares to go away. Harry's took three, and so after he felt healed enough, and sure enough that she was well and happy, he and Ginny had moved out of Grimmauld place to live in a flat of their own. Mrs. Weasley had been caught between being ecstatic and painfully disapproving of her daughter living with a man she had yet to marry. She also didn't approve of Hermione's living arrangements as a consequence of their moving out, but they had learnt long ago to deal with other people's disapproval.

Harry cleared his throat, trying to recover the attention of the room, who had very obviously gotten lost in their thoughts, reminding everyone the true subject at hand.

"In any case, I know that all of you have been waiting very patiently, particularly Ginny," he paused while everyone chuckled lightly. "for me to be ready to set a date. We, together, have decided to get married... on the 31st of October." his voice was a bit shaky, his green eyes were looking worriedly from Sirius to Remus, and back again.

It was her turn now, to hold their arms in what comforting manner she could manage. She was as surprised as they were, but she couldn't even begin to imagine the hurricane that came alive inside of them at those words.

Everyone was rendered speechless, the couple that would soon be married didn't seem to have expected any other reaction, but were somehow frozen too.

"I know it doesn't make much sense to any of you. But we were thinking that so many of the dates in our calendar hold dark meanings these days. We were trying to look for a date with good weather, but so many people we knew died on Spring and Summer, around December wasn't even an option, and we thought Autumn would be nice. The colors of the leaves, not quite the cold of winter. But then I thought of my parents and…" his voice finally cracked, looking down. Ginny had a vice grip on his hand, trying to think of a way to support him on this, but she couldn't seem to find her voice, her eyes were shining at the explanation.

There was a long pause, and Hermione couldn't take it any longer.

"You wanted to give us a reason to celebrate those days, instead of dread them. To fill our calendars with happy memories again, and honor those who are gone but that'll never leave us," she said firmly. "Starting by the product of your parents sacrifice. The day they died, to become the day when the physical manifestation of their love finally lets himself be happy and have the life they always wanted for him. The life they happily died for." She was taking a licence here, speaking for people she had never met and that had no way of correcting her. She hated it when people did things like that, but Harry needed her support and she suspected she was right. She needed to give words to his sentiment and reassure him that his parents would be happy for him, even if she didn't know it for a fact. It must have taken so much out of him to decide on that particular date, and then make a public, even in their family, announcement of that decision.

Her best friend was openly weeping now, looking at her with such a grateful expression she couldn't hold her tears any longer. He just wanted to be understood and supported by the people he loved, like everyone else, having known too much rejection and senseless judgement throughout his life. His green eyes then went back anxiously from Remus to Sirius at random intervals.

Hermione took a chance and stole a glance towards the werewolf sitting next to her, surprised to find him looking at her with a softness she wasn't prepared for. His green eyes were so full of… of something, she couldn't quite understand. After the heated gazes and desire filled stares she had gotten all day, she realised this was what she really wanted from the man. She had to look away, things were getting complicated, and fast, for her. She couldn't let him see she hoped for more, he would never understand. They would never understand.

As if on queue, Sirius tightened his grip on her hand, which she hadn't noticed he had taken into his own, and tried to make her look his way. She was too vulnerable right then, trying to think of a way to bring their attention back to Harry and his beautiful gesture, but he was having none of it. Placing a knuckle under her chin he turned her head in his direction until she made full eye contact. His eyes were molten metal, a moving, living thing that awoke all sorts of emotions inside of her. He held her gaze for a long moment, everything about his gentle touch and what he was trying to communicate getting lost in the intensity of her feelings until she couldn't handle it any longer.

Harry was oblivious to the whole exchange, most of the table was, with a few exceptions. Fred and George were looking a bit surprised, but the tiny grin that was growing on their faces spoke about how they felt about the situation. Bill raised an eyebrow at her but otherwise remained silent, turning to put a kiss on his wife's cheek. Percy was reprimanding Ron about something or another and Molly's eyes were so full of tears she couldn't really see anything. Arthur, on the other hand, looked like he had a strange puzzle in front of him and couldn't quite put the pieces together.

She forgot to scan the rest of the table when Ginny stood up and hugged her fiance tightly for a moment, before turning around and smiling gratefully at her.

"Hermione has always had a way of finding words and give form to the things we can't manage to say. As always, she's got the point right on her first go. We want to start celebrating life again, to make our sacrifices count for something. It won't have been in vain if we have the courage to try to be happy, now that it's all over," she said smiling at the brunette.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, Ginny. We will lead happy lives if we manage to fill our calendars with joyful occasions that honor the sacrifices we all made precisely for that reason, for the hope of a better future." Hermione's eyes were wet by that point. "You'll give us a reason to rejoice, and celebrate the most powerful magic of all, love." she couldn't help but smile sadly, she would never have what they had.

"Hermione, you're going to make me lose my appetite, cut the fluffy stuff," scoffed Ron with a full fork halfway to his open mouth. That immediately made her sober up from the high of her strong emotions.

"Ronald!" cried Molly, smacking him across the head with her open palm.

"As if anyone or anything could deter you from your food," she replied with a roll of her eyes. The table broke into laughter, and she was honestly thankful for his insensitive comment for once. She was happy to no longer be the center of attention in a delicate emotional state. She hadn't intended for her buried feelings to bleed their way into her improvised speech.

 _For Merlin's sake, just calm down and enjoy the moment_ , she thought. _Take what you can get, it's not like you expected anything else, did you?_

"Is nobody going to congratulate us?" Harry asked suddenly, looking a little annoyed. The reaction was instantaneous, everyone jumped from their seats to give a hug to the happy couple.

As everyone stood up, Hermione remained seated to compose herself for a moment longer, closing her eyes. At that moment she could feel the same two hands on her legs, same as before, except the intention, couldn't have been more different. She was trying her best not to burst into tears, so many cupped up emotions had been stirred for the first time in a long while. She knew they were trying to help, but their hands, their support, only made her feel more vulnerable. They didn't know, they had no idea she had real feelings for them both.

She couldn't choose. She just couldn't.

Hermione stood up abruptly, ignoring their searching eyes. Bypassing everyone, she hugged Harry for a long second and then Ginny, only to go out the back door without another word. She could hear steps behind her, she assumed they belonged to one of her roommates, but she couldn't handle the conversation that was sure to come. They wanted different things, and while she also wanted and needed the physical aspect both men were pursuing, Hermione didn't think she could separate it from the emotional element she craved from their relationship.

With a _CRACK_ , she was gone.

...

The breeze was cold and strong in her face. She really shouldn't be out in this weather, but the cold somehow relaxed her, helped her think, almost as if it helped with her overheated brain.

 _What am I doing?_

It wasn't long before another _CRACK_ could be heard over the wind. The sky was without a single cloud, stars bright as far as the eye could reach, and the moon, almost full, illuminated the grass beneath her bare feet.

"You know, I've always wondered why after we went on the run you took to going barefoot in the grass."

Harry had always been her rock, her main support in a world that understood her very little, and since very early on, proved to be not quite as receptive of her as she had been of it. He understood where she came from, and while she belonged so naturally in the magical community, it was still a community she had been ignorant off for almost half her life. He had been and remained her solace amongst people that had lived surrounded by magic all their lives. Ron had been their guide, but he never had the emotional empathy Harry simply exuded. Her best friend, who never seized to amaze her.

"I learnt how to feel the flow of magic through the ground in The Forest of Dean. I was meditating one night and I suddenly felt it. I was trying to be as alert as possible, to feel if anything or anyone was close by, so I closed my eyes, tuning into my hearing and I could suddenly feel this... energy, flowing freely through everything around us." She paused for a second, thinking back to that time, unable to help the flashback of all the things that happened that year, when they got caught because she hadn't been careful enough.

"Your magic was like a beacon," she started again. "I could also feel animals in the vicinity, but the ground, the ground was almost pulsating. I decided to take my shoes off to see if it would feel any different and the magic coming from the soil just soared up and started flowing through me and back to the roots of trees and up again. I've been hooked to the feeling ever since. It calms me down, it's almost like a Draught of Peace flowing through my veins, except it goes through my magic. Much more effective," she finished lamely.

She was starting to feel uncomfortable again, feeling the pressure of the questions he wasn't asking. Unshed tears started prickling in her eyes, annoyed, she had yet to look at the green-eyed man standing behind her.

"You never told me that, Hermione, that's amazing. You're amazing," he said.

 _Here it comes_ , she thought.

"You know, for someone so intelligent and perceptive, I wonder how you miss the most obvious things." He was trying to be casual, she could tell, however, he was failing miserably.

"And what, pray tell, is this obvious thing I'm missing, Oh wise Chosen One?" she asked sarcastically. She really had no patience to deal with someone else's opinions of events they didn't understand.

"I may be an idiot sometimes, but I'm not as clueless as Ron. Something is going on between you and my Godfather, or you and Remus, I couldn't really tell, but they both seem to be quite keen on you." His voice was amused rather than angry, which was a relief in and off itself. However, if Harry had noticed something was going on, then most likely everyone but Ron had noticed too.

"I've no idea what you're talking about, Harry," she said, realising feigning ignorance was quite difficult after just leaving a dinner party evidently upset.

"They hardly looked anywhere other than you, even while eating, during the whole meal. At first, I thought they had upset you somehow, but they just seemed to be quietly observing you, as if they couldn't help themselves." he said while walking to sit beside her on the rock next to the very deep cliff that was before them.

"We want different things," was all she managed to say in reply.

"I don't think either of them want to play with your feelings, Hermione. They don't seem to mind that their best friend is also interested in you, so you get your pick, really. They are both adults, I'm sure there won't be any drama involved," he reasoned. "Unless you pick Remus, I can already picture Sirius pouting all wounded around the house just to be overly dramatic." He laughed a bit, trying to joke. But the joke was lost on him, as that was exactly the problem.

She couldn't choose.

"Harry, I don't know if I can talk to you about this," she finally said miserably.

"You're going to break my Godfather's heart, aren't you?" he sighed. "I suppose it makes sense, you and Remus have a lot in common. Living in the same house for five years together was bound to bring those things out in both of you. It may seem a little strange to you, but since you moved in with us, I always thought you and Sirius balanced each other out. He's... a little difficult to deal with at times, but you seem to manage just fine. You don't take any shit from him, which other than Remus, nobody really does. You also have very different points of view on most things, but I know you enjoy those sorts of conversations," he said calmly.

Harry was not the most observant of Hermione's friends, she was quite surprised he had put so much thought to the interaction between the people that lived in Grimmauld Place. There it was again, the never ending surprises that came along with Harry Potter.

"The most fruitful dialogues are the ones between people that don't share a point of view," she responded automatically.

"You've said that before, something about those conversations bringing you out of your comfort zone and making you consider things you wouldn't have considered otherwise." His teeth were starting to rattle against each other. She finally looked at him and at her look of surprised he said, "I do listen from time to time, you know?" he laughed. "I just pretend I don't so you don't expect it very often," he said smiling.

His smile made her feel better somehow, something warm spread at the pit of her stomach.

 _Hope._

"It has nothing to do with compatibility," she told him. "I..."

It was a strange thing, Hermione Granger at a loss for words. What could she possibly say? What could she tell Harry Potter that would justify to him her being in love with both his Godfather and their former Professor?

"So it's Sirius, then?" he interrupted. "I can't pretend I'm not a little relieved. You two have always been oddly suited for one another and I love Sirius, you'd be a great influence on him." he relaxed somewhat, smiling softly.

"Or he would be a horrible influence on me." she said smiling back despite herself. "I've always been very fond of Sirius, Harry. The problem is th—," she started, but her best friend wasn't having it.

"I don't see a problem, Hermione. I fully support you, you know? You're a smart witch, I know you wouldn't get involved with him if you didn't have serious feelings for him, no pun intended," he said with a little laugh. "He's smart, a little aggravating at times, I know, but he's got a big heart. A heart that seems to be sweet on you," he continued.

"Harry, that's not the —," she tried saying again.

"I really don't get it, Hermione! Why do you keep putting silly things in the way of your happine—."

"I'm in love with both of them, Harry! That's hardly a silly thing!" she finally half screamed.

Her breathing was laboured, her eyes were prickling with tears begging to be realised. She hadn't planned on telling Harry, ever, but he'd pushed and pushed in a way that only he could. If he wanted to know what was so complicated then he would have to deal with the true reason.

Harry just looked like someone had petrified him. She half wanted to joke about checking for ponds and Basilisks around, but she knew this was a serious matter and trying to break the tension wouldn't help. Her best friend looked like he was trying to work out a particularly complicated Arithmancy problem in his head. And finally, the dam she had been expecting to shatter from the beginning, broke loose.

"For fucks sake, are you... I—." Harry looked just about ready to explode. "I've spent the past couple of months trying to adjust to the idea of you and Sirius, or you and Remus, trying to be a good friend, not hotheaded Harry, as always. Ginny kept saying I needed to get with the program, that it was only a matter of time and no one was actually asking me if I was okay with it, and then, I finally come to terms with it, my best friend with one of my father figures, so you decide one is not enough!?" he was almost screaming by now, having started at a medium volume. "It's a little greedy on your part, don't you think!?" he snapped.

"Do you think I chose this? I can't help the way I feel any more than I can help the color or the shape of my hair!" she screamed back. The tears she had been holding back coming free at last, she wiped at them furiously. "I've been fighting my feelings since I moved into that forsaken house, but I can't help but to be drawn to those men. I love them, I love them both in equal measure and I couldn't choose between them if my life depended on it." Her voice was cracking every few words.

"I don't even know what I want." she admitted finally, defeated. "I've never heard of a modern triad. It was common enough in Merlin's time, powerful witches and wizards looking to further their magical cores. But I... I don't see how this would ever work in a modern setting. Maybe in the muggle world, somehow, but the magical world has been stranded in social ineptitude since the Statute of Secrecy was decreed." She didn't even know what she was saying anymore. Silence took over them, the wind roaring around them, the trees swinging and cracking in every direction.

"A triad?" Harry's voice was soft and confused, the fight having left him. "I don't know what to tell you, Hermione."

"I don't know what to tell you either," she responded. "I wish I could tell you something different, but... I don't see how this could possibly work out. I'm going to get hurt regardless, because even if I choose to pursue one of them I will always long for the other. I don't even know what a triadic relationship would look like even if they agreed to one by some miracle." She sounded miserable even to her own ears.

"I didn't know you felt this way, Hermione. What... How can I help?" he asked in the most tender voice she had ever heard from him. The wind was unrelenting, how she could hear him above it was beyond her, but it brought tears to her eyes once again.

"You're not upset?" she asked, even though she was afraid of the answer.

"Of course I'm still upset, I won't pretend otherwise. But we've been through so much, Hermione. I'm not Ron, love. I won't leave at the time when you most need me," he said. Harry could be oblivious sometimes, but there were the rare times when he could read her like a book, and he hit the nail right on the head.

The reason her relationship with Ron never took sail after Fred was simple. She couldn't forgive him for leaving her and Harry that day in the middle of the hunt. Horcrux or not, it betrayed his deepest fears, but also his response to them. Harry and Hermione had been under the same dark influence, had their own horrid thoughts about their friends and their loved ones, but they had broken him and made him flee. She couldn't live her life wondering, waiting, for the day she did or said something that would make him leave, even if he came back.

She stood up and held onto him for dear life, trying to convey how much his support meant to her, even if he wasn't comfortable with her choices.

"You need to tell them, Hermione, if for no other reason than to explain why you can't have a relationship with either of them. They have a right to understand, even if they don't understand in the end." His voice was muffled, buried in her never ending hair.

"I know. I've been careless with my own feelings, and what's worse, with theirs. I've been leading them on separately, hoping... I don't know what I was hoping for, but I've been unfair," she admitted.

"Remus and Sirius are anything but stupid, they are Marauders after all. I don't think you've been as sly as you think you've been." He pulled away from her, reaching for the scarf in the pocket of his robes.

" I don't even know what my ideal scenario looks like, Harry. I wouldn't even know what to say."

The cold was finally getting to her, making her reach for Harry.

"What do you say to getting out of here?" he asked gently, even as he held her closely.

"Yes, you go back to The Burrow, I'll just stay with the twins tonight. I need some time to think," she said.

"Avoiding them isn't going to do you any good," he admonished.

"I just want to get my thoughts in order before I talk to them. I don't want to say something I'll regret." Harry looked at her worriedly, but with an understanding she never thought she'd see in her best friends eyes. Harry Potter was a mature, lovely man that she struggled to associate with the angsty teen she had grown up with.

"You've grown to become a beautiful human being, Harry." she teared up again.

He was startled by her sudden declaration and blushed at her words, but he looked pleased none the less.

"Let's go back to the Burrow so you can talk to the twins and excuse yourself to Molly. I'll distract the other two." He reached for her hand and waited for her approval. She nodded softly and with one last _CRACK_ they were gone.

…

Most of the Weasleys had already left, the only ones lingering in the living room were Fred, George and Ginny, who were obviously waiting for Harry and Hermione to get back. She could hear Remus talking to Arthur and Molly in the kitchen, and Harry immediately signaled Ginny to wait for a moment and headed straight for the closed door where the other occupants of the house were talking.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Ginny's voice was soft but worried.

"Yes, I'm so sorry for making a scene in the middle of your announcement. I want you to know it had nothing to do with it, I just felt rather… overwhelmed." She didn't know how else to explain it, her small meltdown. She turned to the other two redheads and asked, "Fred, George, do you mind if I stay on your couch for a couple of days? I don't feel like going back to that damn house tonight, I swear I can feel the dark magic soak underneath my skin sometimes." It was a weak lie, she knew, most people in the family could tell when dark magic was bothering the trio, but frankly she couldn't think of anything else at the time.

"Of course, you know you're always welcome," Fred said with a smile.

"You can stay in my room if you like," said George afterwards with a wink.

"I couldn't ask you to give up your bed, George." She was looking for her gloves in her pockets, the little excursion she took without a cloak having taking it's toll on her.

"Who said I was going to give up my bed? I had other things in mind." She looked up and saw the usual wicked smile on his face.

He managed to get a laugh out of her, which she knew was the purpose of the comment, and she was instantly grateful for the unending sunshine that were the twins.

"Keep dreaming. I'm going to number twelve to pick up some things and I'll be at your place in a bit." She looked back at the kitchen, hearing Remus' voice get a little louder. He was probably arguing with Harry, trying to go out and talk to her. She needed to leave quickly. "Ginny, please say my goodbyes to everyone, I don't feel much like having to explain I'm feeling a little under the weather." The redhead just rose, gave her a hug and nodded.

Hermione turned on her heels, took her cloak from the hanger and headed for the fire, grabbed a handful of floo powder and was gone with a whoosh and a small explosion of green fire.

She almost tripped with the carpet while landing, annoyed that she was upset to the degree of clumsiness. It was silly really, anything she would need for a couple of days she could transfigure, but the comfort of using her muggle toothbrush and her sleepwear were things she usually couldn't do without. Ever since they'd been on the run she slept in one of Harry's old Quidditch jerseys, and some soft cotton shorts she couldn't even remember where they came from.

Just as she burst into the bathroom she heard another door open behind her.

"Hermione, are you alright? I was worried, Pumpkin." Sirius was on her in a second, his scent overwhelming her senses, the feel of him, his arms surrounding her. "Remus stayed behind in case you went back to The Burrow and I came here looking for you. I didn't know where else to look." His voice was worried, which was to be expected.

"I'm fine, Sirius." She tried to pry his hands away, but failed in her attempt, he wouldn't let go it seemed.

She let herself be held by him for a long moment, knowing he was easily scared when it came to people he considered family. Sirius didn't take too well to not knowing where the people he cared about were at all times. He cared about her.

"I'm just going to stay at the twins for a couple of days. I need to go, they're expecting me," she managed to get out. She felt him tense up for a moment, showing he had heard her but didn't loosen his grasp on her.

"Staying at the twins? Why? Is it the phantom locket again?" he said finally moving back to look at her face, but he didn't pull away, his grip surprisingly firm.

From time to time, Harry, Ron and Hermione experienced what they had taken to calling The Phantom Locket Syndrome. Out of nowhere, in no specific circumstances, they sometimes felt the weight of the Horcrux around their neck for no apparent reason. The standing theory was that when they were near or had been exposed to dark magic for long periods of time their bodies remembered the feel of the darkest of magics, and so it was almost like a phantom limb.

"Yes," she replied immediately, however at the worried look in his eyes she amended, "No. I just need to get out of the house for a couple of days." She finally managed to move away from him and started walking to her bedroom to look for the old Quidditch jersey and the cotton shorts.

"Hermione, this isn't because of—," he started.

"No." but her reply came too quickly because he was on her before she could get another step in.

"Sirius, don't…"

"Don't what?" his eyes were so intense it was almost like looking directly at the sun. She didn't know how long she could look into them without going blind.

"I've been unfair to you. I've…" she choked out the words. "I need some time to think. I don't want to say anything I'll regret later," she admitted.

"You want time so you can hide away all your feelings, is what you want to do. You want to get away from this house so you can come back and tell me I don't know my own feelings and there's nothing here," he growled. "Well, I won't let you. You won't manage to logically argue the way I feel about you out of me, the way you seem to do to yourself." He was almost barking the words at her at this point.

"That's not what I do!" she replied defensively.

"No? Is that not exactly what you were planning to do just now? Were you not about to leave and try your damn best to be rid of this horrible thing you feel for me?" his voice was rising, just shy of a shout.

"Just because I don't want to be callous with my feelings or the feeling of others doesn't mean I can wash them away! Despite popular belief I am not a frigid bitch!" she shouted back.

"Oh, no. You're definitely not frigid bitch. You're absolute fire, you're the blue flame that burns from deep within." His voice had lowered an octave, and he managed to corner her against the wall. His hands were now pressed to both sides of her head, his weight leaning on the wall behind her, closing her in between them. "You're the flame that burns the phoenix and the spark that breathes new life into it." His hands found their way to the bottom of her arse and lifted her up against the wall, wrapping her legs around his waist, pressing his body against her and into the wall. "You are pure passion, bottled up in a small, perfect body that sings and hums for my hands." His lips were touching the shell of her ear now, sending shivers down her spine, which she was positive he could feel, being so close. She felt the smirk on his lips, the bastard.

"Do you want to wash this away? Do you want me to stop?" he asked her, his lips were half and inch away from her mouth, the heat of his breath mixing with hers. "Do you want to forget how you feel about me?" his hips did a slow forward motion that made him groan low in his throat and made her hold her breath. "Do you want to forget how our bodies feel pre—."

"No," she breathed out. "No, I don't."

He paused then, and it was almost as if time itself had stopped. The look in his eyes was inscrutable and she couldn't look away. The moment lasted for a long instant, a caesura, absolute silence before the roar of a clash of lips come together in a magnificent duel of wills.

Kissing Sirius Black was a feeling like no other. The burning, the complete and utter feeling of completion just by the touch of his palm on her face. On her neck, at the base of her neck bringing them impossibly close, pulling at her hair. Thrilling, pure electricity moving between them as if they were made of metal, growing hot with the current.

 _Red._

Sirius Black was pure red.

There was something to be said for the touch of his tongue on her neck, hot, smooth, tasting as it went with small intervals of teeth on its way down between her breasts. The feel of his body was bliss, pressed so closely to hers against the wall. Their movements were desperate, taking their pleasure without question, tearing at what flesh they could find. His hands dug against her thighs, looking, searching for her pleased sounds in response.

 _How is this man so addictive?_

She couldn't help the sigh of contentment that escaped her when he lifted her up just a fraction higher and their middles came together like missing pieces of a puzzle. At the sound, Sirius detached her from the wall, -that was sure to have a Hermione shaped dent- and carried her in the direction of his bedroom. His movements didn't cease for a second, his tongue paying proper attention to the exposed skin of her throat as she tilted her head to give him better access.

Everything about him was intoxicating. There was something about the way he'd look her dead in the eye and never look away, even as he pulled her burgundy blouse down to have access to her bare breasts. She couldn't look away when he sucked a nipple in his mouth, teasing it with his tongue inside his mouth, varying pressures depending on her response. The logical part of her brain was completely shut off, the rest of it was on automatic pilot. But there was nothing to think about as Sirius lips descended on her abdomen, nipping and teasing as he went, raising her blouse, trying to touch as much skin as possible.

All thoughts left her mind, she grabbed the offending garment and took it off swiftly, not wanting him to ever stop or to lose concentration. He gave her a smug but predatory smile as a response, a promise to devour her whole. That shouldn't have been an incentive, but now all she wanted to do was put the blouse on just to take it off again to see that same expression bloom anew in his handsome face.

Despite everything she felt she needed to prepare him, she was completely out of practice and it was likely her muscles would give out before she wanted them to, given their severe misuse.

"I have to warn you, it's been a while for me." She'd never heard her own voice sound so out of breath, almost like inhaling the words rather than properly spoken vocables.

"Shh, don't think, Pumpkin," he said softly between kisses. "Just let go."

"I haven't had a man in two years, Sirius. I might need you to be gentle. I…" she gasped when his hand finally found the crux between her thighs and the contact rendered her speechless for a moment. "...I don't know if I could take you the way I want to the first time," she moaned out.

He growled at the suggestion of a second time, and laid her down on the bed. He was gone from her body for a mere second while he took his shirt off, the sight of his bare chest was glorious. He gave her no time to detail it, pressing it against her now bare breasts. She didn't even know when he had taken her bra off or did she take it off herself? The weight of his body pressing her into the mattress almost made her want to sing.

Her attention was called back to the man in question when he finished tearing her tight jeans off with a bit of effort on his part, they seem to cling to her body and would not part with it. He growled with impatience but the look on his face upon success made a new wave of desire go through her.

"You smell heavenly," he said from her thighs. He was so close from where she wanted him, so close. "So, gentle, right?" his voice was somewhat strained, as if he was using all his self-control not to drive into her at that very moment. Given the circumstances, it was very likely.

"Yes, please…" she hissed out at the feel of his thumb raking over her, her knickers in the way still. "I… I just need a moment…" his eyes were hungry, like a man starved, and she felt a surge of courage go through her. "I'll just need a moment to adjust to your cock." She felt him stop all movement at her declaration. "Just a minute to stretch my muscles, remember what it feels like to be completely filled, I'll try not to cling too tightly around you." His breathing was slow, his eyes were slowly going up her body. "But once I adjust, I won't hold back as I ride you, painfully slowly until your body can't take it." His eyes finally met hers, and they were pure metal, pupils completely dilated. A predator tightening his muscles ready to pounce… and he did.

Every piece of clothing left was gone in an instant, his body hovering above hers. His naked frame was something out of greek ancient times, taut muscles, smooth skin, the tattoos that covering his chest and back an anachronism to his classical beauty.

"Who would have thought Miss Granger had such a dirty mouth." His hands were drawing circles and free shapes around her abdomen, igniting every nerve on his way. "But even with all those well-spoken words, we'll see who's going to be begging after all is said and done tonight." he sentenced.

With no further preparation, not that any more was needed, he was inside her. Her whole body thrummed in unison, a strange and guttural noise coming from the back of her throat made it's way out and it was as if a chord deep inside her was vibrating in a very low register. A groan escaped Sirius, and he could feel it too, she could tell.

She felt perfectly stretched, remembering the feel of being filled so fully, a sliver of pain and then every nerve inside of her burst to life. He stopped for a moment, letting her adjust. Heat flowed through her once again, a new wave of desire and flame shooting to her lower belly. His fingers were nothing if not adept at molding her flesh, like wet clay her very muscles gave way to his hands, responding eagerly to the attention.

Her back arched underneath him when he finally moved, the friction sublime and the slow pace driving her to the edge of insanity. Her breath caught at the look of pure, unadulterated pleasure on his face. She could almost hear the noises he was holding back, on mute, his mouth wide open, moving as if forming words.

"Hermione…"

She didn't think she'd ever heard such an erotic sound, her name, moaned like that by this man. This utter adonis of a man that was grasping for control because of her. She had caused that. She let herself bask in the pride of that single achievement for a moment as if it were another N.E.W.T. and giving her almost as much pleasure.

His teeth were nipping and his tongue soothing the little bites without rest around her neck, on her breasts. It was a never-ending wave of sensations that were overpowering every other function in her brain. He dug his teeth on her bottom lip and the she trembled at the taste of him. Her hands began her own exploration, loving the way he responded to her ministrations. Her hips started to part from the bed, meeting his half way only speeding the pace a little.

She closed her eyes, gave herself completely to the sensation of him, his hips moving back and forth at a tortuous pace, the delectable taste of his skin, his luscious lips on her neck. If she didn't know better she would suspect she was under the influence of a lust potion, but no, this was all him.

He smelled like new parchment, and wet grass, and…

And then she felt it.

His magic flowing through her, a never ending loop of energy just traveling from his body to hers and back again. Suddenly every sensation was multiplied tenfold. Hermione could almost… almost feel what he was feeling. She was out of breath, suspended in a moment of wonder, her pleasure dragging out in such a euphoric way that her body gave way to the pleasure.

A sort of implosion happened in that moment. She could feel her insides come alive and every cell in her body working in unison towards the most powerful orgasm she had ever had.

She shattered, coming undone in the middle of glorious rapture of pleasure that reached the very tips of her toes making them curl. She doubted her very existence for a moment, her body seizing on its own accord.

"Fuck.." Sirius' voice brought her back to witness his pleasure, following her and making her body convulse as he caught up to her blissful mindlessness. He looked gorgeous when he lost control, in a tortuous moment of what looked like pain, his abdomen vibrating as he came inside her, thrusting a couple more times before collapsing completely over her.

Their breathing was all that could be heard in the bedroom. Hermione tried to force her brain to start up again even as she relished in the feel of his crushing weight above her, touching the whole extension of her body in one point or another. She had forgotten what it felt like to have a naked body pressed to hers. She was in heaven.

And yet…

Something was missing.

Remus was missing.

 _Remus._

 _How could I do this to him?_

"I have to go, I told the twins I would stay at their flat tonight,; they'll wonder where I am." She still sounded out of breath, perhaps because she was, but she tried her best to mask her worry.

"Should I be worried? Staying at your ex's place?" His voice was joking as he lifted his head just enough to look her in the eye, but his eyes had a certain vulnerability to them.

"My story with Fred and George is over." She replied before she could think.

"Oh?" He finally rolled over and looked at her, surprised. Though to his credit there was no judgement in it.

"Separate stories, mind you," she corrected quickly. She couldn't stand his searching stare, least he somehow found out what she truly wanted, looking away she stood up, cast a quick Scourgify and started to look for her clothes.

"Not for lack of trying on their part, though. My relationship with George didn't last long, not enough to go public to the Weasleys in any case." She didn't know why she felt the overwhelming need to explain, she wanted him to understand.

 _But he never will._

Unbeknownst to Hermione, Sirius' heart sank somewhat at the mention of the twins attempt to go for the witch together and what sounded like her immediate rejection.

"Why was that?" He managed to ask.

"I really can't stay and talk about George, Sirius." The room was starting to suffocate her. She knew Remus would be home any minute now and she didn't want to risk running into him on her way out.

"There's no rush, you know. You could stay here..." He tried saying, but she interrupted him before he could go any further.

"They're expecting me. Probably waiting up, worried most likely." She knew that was not the case, the twins had a clock, not unlike the one Molly had in her living room, that told them if she was in danger. It also showed other things, she wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

"Hermione…" he tried again.

"It's alright, Sirius," she cut him off again. She finally looked back at him and gave him a sad smile. The brunette didn't really know what else to say, she had no idea of what was going on in his mind. "We'll talk soon. I promise." She walked back to Sirius and gave him what she thought might be their last kiss, so she lingered a bit longer than she might have.

The taste of him almost convinced her to stay, nipping softly at his bottom lip, committing to memory the volume of that luscious mouth, before she parted their lips. It was goodbye.

She walked out of there before Sirius could say anything else, grabbed her forgotten things, thrown in the throes of passion to the floor of the hallway, and almost ran to the floo. In a rush of green, she was gone.

…

 **AAN:**

 **Big thanks to Judeleemarie, AccioDeanna, Adahmel, ameliagael, Babbles, SJ, Crossy70, windyshoes, Bookwormkitty, rosesnblueberries, Ash-Castle, somebluenovember, SableUnstable, ShayaLonnie and Worthfull1 for your lovely reviews, they make me happy. ShayaLonnie, Grammarly has been a lifesaver, however I'm still looking for a Beta, if anyone is interested please let me know.**

 **Worthfull1 has some delicious stories: To Have Your Cake a RL/HG/SB, Bad Day a SB/HG and Supermoon With A Side Of Eclipse a RL/HG. Of course you should read all her fics, I just happen to love those ones in particular, you should all go have a look.**

 **SableUnstable has a heart wrenching and painfully glorious story called Stages, I can't even say how much I love that particular piece of work, but everyone should check it out.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **S.O.W.**


	3. The River

**AN** : I'll start by thanking every single one of the 69 people who hit Favorite and the 167 people who followed the story. I'm simply amazed and in awe of the response to this story. Every single follow, favorite and review makes all the difference in the world.

I had to split this chapter in two, so it's a bit shorter but I didn't want to make everyone wait too long. I have quite a few stories in the works and RL is worse than Augusta Longbottom on a bad day at times, so it may be a while before the next update but rest assured it will come.

My lovely Betas can't be praised enough Ash-Castle, Lumosunicorn31, Worthful1 and Ruby. Special thanks to Ash-Castle who encourages me almost daily and calms me during my insecurity induced panic attacks; and Worthful1 who remains a huge support and somehow finds time to read my silly ramblings.

The are still opening if anyone else is interested in Beta work, or being an Alpha reader.

Now that my Tumblr app has decided to work, my presence there is significantly more active than on FF. If you have any questions or simply want to talk HP feel free to message me on there, Song remains the same... I mean, the name remains the same.

I'll shut up now, please enjoy :)

SW

...

When she finally arrived at the twins flat they were both asleep, as expected. She went straight to the sofa, everything already set up for her. She laid there for a while, sleep had been evading her as of late, but today her mind wouldn't stop reeling.

She had been with Sirius Black, and _good Godric_ , it was sublime. Her skin was tingling still, every place his lips had touched, and just the memory of it made her face and her chest grow hot.

 _Think of something else, think of something else._

 _ **Remus.**_

That was enough to pause the inappropriate train of thought, now, however, the guilt and shame were almost sinking her into the sofa.

 _I love them, I love them both and it feels like I've cheated on one of them with the other. How is that possible?_

How did triadic relationships even work?

Just as she thought of that question she heard a cupboard being opened in the nearby kitchen. One of the twins must have woken up for a late snack. Maybe she should talk to them, ask them how they went about it when they approached potential partners.

"Fred?" she asked out softly.

"How can you possibly know it was me? Tell me you guessed or I'm going to have to start checking those eyes for a sparkle and determine you're a closet all-knowing seer," he said genuinely surprised.

He walked towards her, shirtless, wearing bright green and slightly wrinkled bottoms, that hung low on his hips. She remembered exactly how fit he was, years of Quidditch only helping his fast metabolism. His chest and abdomen were toned, but not overly so, his arms more defined from being a beater like his brother, whose body looked exactly like his twin's except for the missing ear.

"I don't know. You move about differently, in fact, you do a lot of things differently," she said, thinking back to the way they brushed their teeth in the morning and the way they opened the mail. Small random things she didn't think anyone else would notice, but she had spent a lot of time with them in their flat, it was inevitable to notice the subtle differences. But more than that, it was their magic. She could feel it around them and it was the easiest way to tell them apart.

"I sure hope so, I know I'm better in bed than he is," he winked at her slowly, with a knowing smile that could only mean trouble. She loved his smile, so full of mischief and goodness. There was no marring the happiness of those two as long as they had each other.

"I never said that you were better than him, you're just different. But that's not what I meant and you know it," she laughed softly. They were both incorrigible, in that respect, they would always remain the same.

"Well, you had the chance to compare us side by side and you turned it down." His voice lowered about an octave, but his eyes remained playful.

"You know…" she started hesitantly. Maybe the twins were the answer, they actually led their lives this way. She never asked when or at what point they decided to date the same girl at the same time, but she knew that's how they dated these days. Perhaps she could try to ask them how to deal with her current situation, get some actual information from a triad if they were dating anyone, from the source, and not from what was more than likely a very inaccurate romance novel. No matter how mortifying it might be to ask her exes about their dating strategy.

Apparently she took too long to think about her choice of words because he spoke before she got the chance.

"You're not reconsidering the offer are you? My heart couldn't take the teasing, Hermione." His voice was light, but his eyes turned dark, pupils dilated. His whole body was in pause, not wanting to jump the gun.

"What?" she replied, a little startled. "Oh, no, I'm afraid not," she apologized.

"The thing is…" she started. "I was wondering…" she began again but stopped.

She could do this, she had never before been afraid of asking a question, in fact, it was her thing! She was constantly full of questions and sometimes it annoyed some people, most people really, but she had never cared before. She couldn't help the blush that sprang from her chest to her cheeks, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Gred, what could you possibly have said in the middle of the night that turned our lovely Miss Granger such a lovely shade of Weasley red?" George was standing in the doorway of his bedroom, hair rumpled, wearing magenta bottoms low on his hips, more or less the same way his twin was sporting his. She remembered they both slept shirtless, but having them both there half naked only brought memories to the front of her mind, making her wonder why exactly she had turned them down on their offer. "I have to say, you wear it well rather well. Better than any Weasley for sure." He winked and laughed softly.

"I think for the first time in her life, a question is burning at the back of her throat struggling to get out, Forge." The cheek in his voice was unbearable, and that sobered her up from her embarrassment.

"I want to know how you go about asking a witch to be your third," she said defiantly. Her heart was beating out of her chest, but she tried to even her breathing, not wanting to give away how nervous she was.

"Well, you should know. We asked you, didn't we?" replied George with ease, as he took a seat on the other side of the couch. Fred was sitting in a chair diagonal to her. She was fiddling with her hands, which was a very un-Hermione thing to do, trying to recover her courage.

"That can't be it, though, can it? You asked me to have a threesome, you didn't ask me to become a part of a triad," she said plainly. The silence that followed made Hermione look from her twitching hands to look at both men. They were looking at her seriously, with a hint of sadness in their eyes.

 _No, they can't mean…_

"Are you telling me that you wanted to have a relationship with me? Is that.. is that why you broke up with me, George?" she didn't know if she should be asking, there was no point to it now, but her curiosity got the better of the witch.

"Yes and no. I admit I wasn't at my best when I approached the subject, nor did I react as I should have, but I was in love with you, and so was Fred. We hadn't really figured out how to approach a witch as a unit, and make our intentions clear at the time. You were our first." His voice was soft, obviously overtaken by memories he hadn't dwelled in, in a long time.

"But you never said that was what you wanted." She was staggered. Never, in the few times she had thought back to her break up with George, did she think it was related to the drunken, half-arsed proposal they'd laid out on her birthday.

"I suppose I should say our first attempt then. I didn't know how to ask, I wasn't even sure if you'd take it as a joke. But, yes, frankly I figured we wanted different things, so I thought it was best to end things before they took a wrong turn," he said simply.

She was staggered to a silent stop. Did they still have feelings for her? But even if they did…

 _I'm in love with two men... two different older men from the two that are in front of me._

"I'm really sorry. I… I didn't understand at all that that was what you wanted, let alone that you were asking…" she stammered.

"It's alright, Hermione, I wasn't particularly eloquent about it. I think I just assumed many things and at the same time withheld others. I was scared and I didn't want to lose you, but, in the end, I figured it was no good to be with you and just pretend I was content to leave things as they were." The conversation had turned really intense, she wanted to break it somehow but knew he wanted to say his peace. "Fred's my twin, and we function better as a unit, some people do even if they're not related," he finished.

The image of Sirius and Remus came immediately to mind. They functioned perfectly as a unit, they always knew how to ease the other's woes, how to make each other laugh, how to abate their demons for each other when they didn't feel like doing it themselves. They made each others life better, simply by remaining close and… just being together.

"I know what you mean." Her head felt like a beehive, thoughts swirling about one direction and then another.

Then a thought came to mind for the first time. Did they… were Sirius and Remus in a relationship already?

"So…" Fred started, interrupting her train of thought. "If not us, who are the lucky men that caught your eye? It must be serious for you to be asking us these sorts of questions." The way he said 'serious' and the knowing smile and his face told her that he was merely asking to embarrass her, all tension leaving the room.

"How does it work? A triad, I mean." She ignored him, the questions running through her head were simply too important.

"Well, it depends. There isn't one type of triad. Every triad is different, it caters to the people involved if you will," George said carefully. "For instance, Fred and I are brothers, and are in no way attracted to each other, though he is a very handsome devil if I do say so myself." The self-satisfied grin on his face made her laugh.

"But at the same time, it's hot to be with the same woman because it's almost like looking at myself in action, being able to watch… It works for us." Fred's grin was so wicked it brought back memories again, of being pushed to a wall somewhere in Hogwarts, of the time they tried bonding for the first time… She shook her head back to the subject in question.

"It's not just about the logistics of sex, though. I couldn't imagine having a life with someone separate from my life with Gred here, you see?" George was something else, the way he loved was unparalleled. It almost brought tears to her eyes, to imagine him living life without his other half.

"No, I see it. Makes perfect sense to me." She smiled softly. "I'm truly confused here, though. I'm in love with two different men, and while they're close I have no idea of the nature of their relationship. I hadn't even thought about it till just now. They were sort of pursuing me independently but now…" She sighed. "I can't choose."

"Maybe you should have a talk with Sirius and Remus," Fred said calmly. That knowing glint was back in his eyes and it almost made her stop mid-breath.

"What!?" she asked a little too loudly. "What do you mean? Why would I talk to them about this?" she finished a little softer. She was having a mild panic attack, the twins couldn't possibly be this certain about the men she was talking about.

However, the soft laughter they both let out told a different story.

"Well, for one they would know all about triads. They've been a part of several if I'm not mistaken." George was being entirely serious, despite the little half grin on his face, she could tell. "They were the ones who counseled us on how not to botch it up with a potential third, seeing as I royally screwed up our first attempt." He shrugged his shoulders, letting her know there were no hard feelings.

But… How had she never heard anything about this before? Were they playing with her? Trying to get her to talk to the men involved and have her blurt out what she wanted?

"Is this a trick of some sort? I swear to Merlin, if you're having me on you'll regret it faster than I can say _Oppugno_!" Hermione was snarling now, perhaps overreacting a touch, not that it mattered.

They both raised their hands simultaneously as a sign of surrender but the smiles remained on their faces. "I believe they said their only serious and working triad was with one Marlene McKinnon before she died during the first war. They haven't had a third since and as you might understand, one doesn't exactly go about advertising our choice of life unless there's a good reason. Or a good witch, if you will," came Fred to his brother's defense.

"Or wizard," said his twin quickly after.

Marlene McKinnon. She knew that name, her and her whole family had been murdered during the first war, she was a part of the first Order of the Phoenix. The twins wouldn't have known that name, unless…

"They spoke to you about this?"

"We were talking one night, the four of us and I might have let it slip that we wanted a non-traditional relationship with a special witch and they figured out quite quickly what we wanted. Mainly because they'd been in a similar situation at some point." George said while scratching his remaining ear.

"Don't worry, they don't know it was you. They just thought it would be nice to give us some guidance since they didn't have any, made loads of mistakes those two." Fred chuckled, obviously at the memory of some story or another.

"I…" Hermione didn't know what to make of the whole conversation. Sirius and Remus had been in a triad with an Order member. According to the twins, it was, in fact, their way of life, they just hadn't been in a relationship with a witch for a long time. Would they consider her? Was the fact that they were approaching her separately a sign that they weren't interested in a serious relationship with her?

 _Ugh, why do I always have to overanalyze things?_ she thought. A headache was beginning to form when Fred spoke up.

"So, our clock was showing some very interesting things tonight. Ginny would have a field day with this sort of information." The cheeky bastard even had the gall to lick his lips while waggling his eyebrows.

"Indeed, we were worried when you didn't show up, so out of concern, we went to check on the clock. You see, your safety has always been one of our top most priorities and since you were our charge for the night, we couldn't bear the thought of not looking properly after you," finished George.

She should have known that they'd be able to see what she was up to thanks to that blasted clock they had next to the Floo. Bloody twins… what was more horrifying was that she'd accidentally given them the idea for it.

The two redheads had built a clock much like the one their mother had at The Burrow. That is, a clock with handles that pointed not the time but rather activities of sorts, such as _Adventure_ , _Mischief_ , _Danger_ , _Home_ , _Shop_ , and _Sex_. In each handle, there was a picture of a member of their family and friends, and much to her chagrin at that moment, a handle for Harry and her. However, the twins had no interest in the job schedule of their friends or if they were playing Quidditch… unless it was horizontal Quidditch, in which case they could tease them merciless or bargain for the information. Molly and Arthur's were charmed to stay away from the "Sex" mark as was Ginny's. There were things even the twins didn't want to know.

She couldn't muffle the groan that escaped her when she realized the spell she had put on her respective handle on the clock had either been tampered with or simply removed somehow. The pranksters were brilliant, that she knew, but how they managed to remove a spell she had crafted herself she'd have to find out later.

"Can we simply go back to bed? I think I've had enough for one night." She immediately closed her eyes, recognizing her mistake in choice of words.

"Oh, we figure you have."

"Which is exactly our point."

"You probably have had _just_ enough to be tired and wanting some rest...!"

"After such arduous activities." They finished together.

She hated it when they did that. It was rehearsed and mainly crafted to confuse people as to which twin was saying what, but since she could very easily tell them apart they were just doing it to annoy her.

"We wonder, though, if there are two wizards in the picture which one was the lucky one tonight." George was sure to lose his eyebrows if he kept going at that rate. Surely they would fall off after such an extreme wiggling.

"Or if perhaps our dear Hermione has already found her way into a triad and is now curious about how the whole thing works." Fred had always been the "serious" twin, if anyone could possibly call either of them serious, but he was always the one to ask the intense questions.

Guilt found its way back into Hermione's stomach, knowing that tonight, despite how amazing it had felt at the time, was actually a mistake. George, though accidentally, had reminded her that she had feelings for two wizards and had left one out tonight. Fred, on the other hand, had renewed all the stress of the actual big picture.

She remained silent, not knowing what to say.

The teasing grins fell from their faces immediately and they were both at her side in less than a second.

"You know we're just being idiots. There's nothing wrong with whatever you think you did." It was Fred, it was always Fred who managed to see the root of the problem.

"You don't even know what's going on," she replied faintly.

"We know _you_ and that is more than enough." George. George who always knew what to say.

The was a sudden bang in the door, the impact from it clashing with the wall startled them all and in a second all three of them were on their feet, wands raised at the man on the threshold.

It took a second to register that no stranger could get through the wards, but by then they all recognized the man that had stormed in.

"Remus?" she asked softly.

He remained quiet and simply strode in two fast steps towards her until he reached her, picked her up like a sack of fucking potatoes and strode back towards the door.

"What in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing?" Even to her ears the screaming was a bit painful, and it should have made the man carrying her, at the very least, take a moment of pause, but it did nothing to stop him or even acknowledge she had spoken.

It took just a few moments to head downstairs, step outside the shop and with a _CRACK_ and not a single explanation, they were gone.

This left a couple of smiling brothers behind, knowing full well that the witch was in good hands.

"Makes you admire the man all the more, doesn't it?"

"It really does. It's funny how everyone always wonders how he was a part of The Marauders, he certainly belongs. It's always the quiet ones."

"True. Brave one too, ain't he? We'll mourn him when Hermione gets her bearings."

"Surely we'll throw him a funeral that'll be spoken of for centuries to come."

"Ah, yes. No doubt."

There a moment of silent contemplation on both their parts, imagining what a funeral with fireworks would look like.

"What to go upstairs and look at the clock, see what happens?"

"You always know just what I need."

They sprang in unison back up the stairs in an instant and the door bang closed once more.

…

 **AAN: Big thanks to ShayaLonnie, Crossy70, XxRemus John LupinxX, Ash-Castle, SableUnstable, Worthfull1, Arisa Coulson-Rogers, Fl0ra, nicolebernardo, Pinup95, TheTruffalo, Blond Handsome Stranger, GillianLSteele, fandomgirlforever9.3-4, Leafey for your lovely reviews, their worth can't be measured in Galleons and not because they have a very uncomfortable conversion system.**

 **Again, still looking for some Betas, if interested please let me know via PM or Tumblr, preferably Tumblr. I can be found as siriuslyorionwicked as always.**

 **Thanks for reading, feel free to let me know what you think!**

 **SW**


End file.
